1. Prior Art
It is to be appreciated that one of the major constraints to the utilization of an infant utensil is the potential for injury to the child. As detailed hereinbelow, because of the materials of construction employed herewith the utensil is not only safe but cannot be accidentally swallowed. Moreover, because of the unique configuration of the utensil portion of the device is also defines a teaching utensil in that it teaches the child to utilize, properly, the utensil associated therewith.
Known prior art infant utensils of which applicant is aware, simply do not preclude accidental swallowing while at the same time, teaching the proper utilization thereof. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,479,708, there is disclosed an infant's utensil which includes a handle having a utensil supporting portion which enables interchangability of various utensils. While the device thereof may teach proper grasping or facilitate grasping by an infant, it does not preclude the accidental swallowing thereof.
Therefore, it is to be appreciated that there exists a need for an infant's or a child's utensil which not only enables proper gripping and teaching, but prevents potential injury to the child through the swallowing thereof. It is to this to which the present invention is directed.
2. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns utensils for children. More particularly, the present invention concerns a "safe" or child safety utensil. Even more particularly, the present invention concerns means and methods for producing a utensil for use by children which is safe and easy to use.